In connection with the control and operation of ovens, for example, baking ovens in which biscuit baking is carried out on a commercial scale, it is important to have accurate information as to the thermal conditions within the oven as baking is effected. In conveyor ovens, biscuits to be baked are carried through the oven, the interior of which is heated by a series of heat sources, and it is desirable to monitor the thermal experience of the biscuits, due to convection and to radiant heat from the burners and from the oven walls, as they progress along the conveyor path.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide simple and effective apparatus for measuring thermal parameters such as radiation and heat flux to enable this to be done.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a transducer device capable of providing information about both radiant heat and heat flux from a thermal environment.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a transducer device capable of being carried through a conveyor oven and providing information about varying thermal conditions therein.